Dr. Phil’s Line in the Sand

Nearly three weeks after the first two episodes of Dr. Phil’s Ultimate Weight Loss Race, we finally get to see episode three. The teams moved into the luxurious Dr. Phil house where they were each given a cell phone so Dr. Phil could call them at any time, and a personalized meal kit using Dr. Phil’s 14-day Rapid Start Plan. According to his website, The Rapid Start Plan is a 14-day, calorie-controlled, carbohydrate-modified plan that helps the body prepare for weight loss and the palate prepare for a diet shift.

Dr. Phil’s video message reminded the contestants that this is a competition, but they will be required to work together to succeed as he asked them to decide on a “house leader”. The teams determined Tiffany would make a good “house leader” and perhaps a house mother.

The next day, the teams headed to Malibu for a beach workout. If you’re lucky enough to live near a beach or visit one on vacation, remember that working out in the sand can increase your difficulty. Each trainer used the environment in a different way to workout their team. The contestants were given a Mio heart rate monitor to help them track the intensity level of their workouts.

Dr. Phil made an entrance by helicopter to talk with the contestants about his second Key to Weight Loss, “Healing Feelings”. He compared food to a drug like heroin when used as a comfort. Food has a physical impact on our bodies, not just in providing calories and energy, but food can warm you up, cool you down, wake you up. Food can be powerful and too many people are using it like a drug. In a typical Dr. Phil statement, he asks the contestants that if you’re hungry you don’t read a book, so why would it make sense to eat when you’re hurt. He instructs the competitors not to deny themselves food, to eat when they are hungry, but to eat the right things, and stop using food for anything but nutrition. He states that his plan is about lifestyle realignment and is not a diet.

Dr. Phil spoke to three of the teams about the emotional issues that have been driving their struggles with weight. He called out Lauren (blue team) for interrupting her brother and made Phil (green team) look at his treatment of his wife Tiffany as if he was a stranger calling his wife hurtful names. Although the interactions of the blue and green teams were intense, my favorite segment was with the brothers of the orange team. Richard admitted that when upset he sits alone in a parking lot to hide the fact that he is eating fast food. He also shared that he missed saying goodbye when his father died because he was in the army, missed his grandmother’s funeral due to work, and has not allowed himself to grieve. Dr. Phil created an emotional moment between the brothers asking Jeff to tell Richard how he would feel if he lost him too due to his unhealthy habits. Jeff had a hard time maintaining eye contact but it seemed like he got the message across to his brother anyway. Dr. Phil used the location, asking Richard to draw a line in the sand and make a change today.